Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is. A combat veteran, Puller is the man the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes facing the nation. Now he has a new case - but this time, the crime is personal: His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida.

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Publisher's Summary

In Paradise, nothing is what it seems....

Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is. A combat veteran, Puller is the man the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes facing the nation. Now he has a new case - but this time, the crime is personal: His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida.

A picture-perfect town on Florida's Gulf Coast, Paradise thrives on the wealthy tourists and retirees drawn to its gorgeous weather and beaches. The local police have ruled his aunt's death an unfortunate, tragic accident. But just before she died, she mailed a letter to Puller's father, telling him that beneath its beautiful veneer, Paradise is not all it seems to be.

What Puller finds convinces him that his aunt's death was no accident… and that the palm trees and sandy beaches of Paradise may hide a conspiracy so shocking that some will go to unthinkable lengths to make sure the truth is never revealed.

While I agree with some of the reviewers that the sound effects were irritating, don't let that stop you from listeneng to this book. There are some interesting twists and overall, I enjoyed the book. The sound effects are minor.

The book was great. A little farfetched at times, but that's expected in thriller fiction. What I didn't like were the annoying sound effects and the female narrator...just sounds "staged", not natural. Other than those minor things, I enjoyed it as I do most of Baldacci's books.

Absolutely! The book has non-stop action, lots of twists and turns, and all the escape scenes are quite believable. I judge the quality of a book by how long it takes me to get through it. This book had me listening at every opportunity including the middle of the night-- just couldn't put it down. Took three days from start to finish. That makes it a five star book for me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I had several favorite characters, but John heads the list. A hero from the same mold as Jack Reicher and others like him.

Which character – as performed by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy – was your favorite?

Julie Carson tops the list. Orlagh does a great job in bringing her to life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book evoked strong emotions in support of the plight of those caught up in today's slavery trade.

Any additional comments?

Although I love Baldacci's books, I almost didn't buy this book because of the negative reviews of several readers who criticized the sound effects, and the poor and rapid speed narration of Orlagh Cassidy. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. I loved having the male and female parts read by two different people, and found Orlagh's performance to be spot on.

Fun, classic Baldacci (for those who know his stories). I will listen to this again. Don't believe the cranky reviews. The sound effects are basically like old radio stories (for those of you not old enough to remember, where sound effects were way more intrusive). However, in an audiobook, I admit I prefer a single reader, even for male and female parts (assuming the reader is up to it). That having been stated, nothing needs to be said about the plot or writing other than that they are good and entertaining, as usual.

Engaging story about the horrific practice of human trafficking. No clue if these scenarios actually exist but they are more than plausible. I am really getting to like Puller. I like fictional characters that we can follow in a series: Childs' Reacher, Cornwells' Scarpetta, etc. Looking forward to the Puller adventure.

A poor plot combined with unnecessary sound effects make a hard to stick with listen. From the first (where we hear the sound of a boat) to the end this is full of the kind of sound effects I remember from the old radio days...but not done as well.

The plot drags on and on and isn't helped by the narrators. It took me days to get thru this-I like to finish the books I buy but this novel--gawd--it isn't worth buying.

I usually enjoy Baldacci novels-though this and the first novel in the series are the first books I've bought as audio....I can't decide if it's the pacing of the plot or the terrible add ons of music, the ocean, the speed boat, guns shooting etc etc.

I wish producers would read reviews and understand that most of we readers dislike the sound effects.

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